Paint brush cleaning tool



Feb. 23, 1965 F. D. BURIAN 3,170,182

PAINT BRUSH CLEANING TOOL Filed June 29, 1960 INVENTOR.

F.' D. BURIAN BY an'w 3,170,182 PAINT BRUSH CLEANING TOOLv Franklin D. Burian, Kimball, S. lD-ak.v

Filed June 29, 1960, Ser. No. 39,489 1 Claim. (Cl. -442) This invention relates to brush cleaning tools of the kind having teeth which are worked through the bristle of a paint brush. e

I have discovered a more efficient way of constructing the teeth of such a tool in which relatively sharp side edges of the teeth engage the bristles for gaining a great amount of compression, all concentrated on substantially linear sharp edges.

I have discovered that the effectiveness of the new teeth is so surprisingly great that in tests I have made, I have first placed a small amount of thinner, enough to moisten only the back part of the bristles by the handle, second pushed the paint off of the brush, and then repeating moistening and pushing only twice more, making a total of only three times, and yet, the paint brushes in the test were SUIIICIGIIIIY clean that I was able to leave them on a shelf in dry unprotected storage and the bristles remained soft for reuse.

A particular object is to provide a cleaning tool which has its teethinclined forwardly and downwardly from an elongated handle to adapt the tool for pushing paint from a brush as has never been done before in a brush cleaning tool which is provided with wedge-shaped teeth for bristle compression. Although I am aware that Patent #2856,- 622 titled Paint Brush Cleaning Tool was issued to F. G. Jacobson on October 21, 1958, was for a tool having teeth inclined forwardly from the handle, but which were for combing only and were not adapted for bristle compresson.

A further object is to provide a tool, the teeth of which can be relatively thick, as is necessary for plastic production to provide suflicient strength and yet, the teeth of which, are provided with linear side compression edges which are relatively sharp as compared with the way the side edges would be if they did not have my new feature of teeth of substantially wedge-shaped cross section as distinguished from being wedge-shaped linearly which is also a feature of the tool, the wedge-shaped cross section being an especially effective way of making a tool from plastic.

A further object is to provide a tool as described as having webs behind each tooth for providing plastic teeth with sufiicient strength.

A further object is to provide a more effective paint brush cleaning tool which is adapted, by its greater bristle compression, to clean paint efliciently enough that the paint removed can be re-used as it does not need to be unduly diluted with thinner in the cleaning process.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an improved paint brush cleaner.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section through a paint brush cleaner taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross section through the teeth on one side of a paint brush cleaning tool taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2 with the parts shown on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 4 is a view illustrating the application of the paint brush cleaning tool to the bristles of a paint brush showing the tool held in one hand of a painter and a brush in the opposite hand.

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the above-referred-to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merely for the purpose of illustration and that various changes in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order'that the invention may be utilized to the best advantage according to cireumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from the spirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only inaccordance with the appended claims. And while there is stated the primary field of utility of the invention it remains obvious that it may be employed in any other capacity wherein it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts and elements throughout, and

in which the numeral 10 refers to the invention in its entirety, numeral 12 indicating a tool having a back 14, teeth 16, and a handle 18.

The teeth are trapezoidal in cross section, the front, or outer surfaces being relatively wide, such as extending from the protruding portions or thin edge portions 20 to the thin edge portions 22, and the rear, or inner surfaces, are comparatively narrow, extending from the points 24 to the points 26, on the line 3-3. By this means open spaces or passageways 28 are provided between inclined side surfaces 30 and 32 of the teeth and as the tool is pushed along the bristles, the bristles are crowded into the small ends of the passages so that'paint is removed from the bristles.

The teeth of the tool are reinforced by triangular-shaped Wegs 34, as shown in FIGURE 2, and the handle is provided with a continuous flange 36 that provides a cavity 38 in the under surface.

The upper ends of the passages 28 are provided with V shaped edges 40 from which inclined surfaces 42 and 44 extend, and in pushing the tool over a brush or drawing a brush through the tool, the edges 40 scrape paint or the like from the bristles.

All of the parts of the tool are integral providing a rigid construction, and as the only possible wear in the tool is that resulting from the bristles sliding over edges of the teeth, and as this action is lubricated by the paint, the life of the tool is indefinite.

The beveled side surfaces of the teeth are straight whereby the bristles of a brush are urged upwardly into the narrow portions of the openings or passageways between the teeth, and as the bristles pass through the teeth substantially all paint is removed therefrom.

In use the teeth are pushed longitudinally of the bristles and through the bristles and the teeth are simultaneously pushed toward the bristles in a direction transversely of the bristles. As the side surfaces of the teeth are thin in a forward to rearward dimension on those edge portions 20 and 22 thereof which are closest an adjacent tooth, the effect is that each tooth engages the bristles on substantially a line of contact, such lines of contact being disposed along each edge portion 20 and 22 and being disposed transversely of the elongated brush bristles. The squeezing pressure against the bristles is thus highly concentrated in a very limited substantially lineal area along each edge 20 or 22 whereby the squeezing effect is maximized and superior.

Although the tool is described as being particularly designed for cleaning paint from paint brushes, it will be understood that the tool may be used for removing other materials from brushes and the like. 7

From the foregoing description, it is though to be obvious that a paint brush cleaning tool made in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use, by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice, except as claimed.

Having now described the invention that which is claimed to be new and desired to be procured by Letters Patent, is:

In a paint brush cleaning tool, the combination which comprises an elongated handle having a comb back with tapering elongated teeth extended therefrom on one end, the back and teeth being integral, the upper ends of spaces between the teeth being V-shaped as seen from the forward side whereby paint is squeezed from the elongated fine bristles of a paint brush as the teeth are pushed transversely of the teeth and longitudinally of the bristles and through said bristles and are simultaneously pressed toward the bristles transversely of the bristles, the side surface of each tooth being thin in a forward to rearward dimension for defining an edge portion thereof which latter is closest an adjacent tooth whereby each said edge portion engages bristles during use on substantially a line of contact for concentrating pressure on the bristles in a limited area, such lines of contact being disposed transversely of the elongated brush bristles and effectively stripping paint from the brush, when the handle is held horizontally, said teeth extend forwardly and downwardly from said handle at a substantial angle of inclination with respect to said handle for rendering the tool most efiective when pushed forwardly through the bristles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,147,440 Roach July 20, 1915 1,307,702 Rogers et al. June 24, 1919 2,564,721 Raya Aug. 21, 1951 2,856,622 Jacobsen Oct. 21, 1958, 

